Mood and Tone/Transcript
Transcript Onscreen text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby This is spelled out on a game board with letter pieces. TIM: Ah… that’s not a real word. Tim, a man, and Moby, a robot, sit at a table playing the word game together. MOBY:--Beep! Beep! TIM: Don’t use that tone of voice with me! Moby holds up an envelope. Tim removes the letter and reads it. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, How do I figure out what the tone is in a story? I don’t get it. Signed, Tom. Tone is something that helps convey the emotion you should feel when you read or hear a passage. In general, tone reflects how the narrator or author feels about his topic. A man, dressed in clothing from centuries ago, scribbles on parchment with a furrowed brow. TIM: Often, it means the same as talking about the tone of someone’s voice. Someone can sound angry, frustrated, or exhausted, or happy, or excited… there are tons of tones! A series of faces appear on screen to match the tones Tim describes. As “angry” is spoken, a man with red, heated squiggles above his head appears. As “frustrated” is spoken, a man with a furrowed brow appears. As “exhausted” is spoken, a woman with bags under her eyes appears. As “happy” is spoken, a man with a smile appears. As “excited” is spoken, a man with a smile that shows his teeth appears. TIM: In a piece of writing, however, an author conveys these emotions through his words and writing style. A quill writes out the word “furious” in calligraphy. TIM: For example, you can usually sense a piece’s tone by examining the narrator’s vocabulary and syntax, the way we put sentences together. Text reads: syntax. MOBY: --Beep? TIM: Well, let’s look at this passage: “My eyes were red with rage, and I couldn’t keep my feelings in any longer. I slammed my fists down on the table and demanded he give me my money back—or else.” Tim reads the passage from a notecard he holds. MOBY:--Beep. Moby puts one hand up, shakes, and hands a dollar bill over to Tim. TIM: Thanks! Anyway, we can definitely tell that the tone here is angry. Words like “rage,” “slammed,” and “demanded” tell us how the narrator’s feeling. The passage appears on screen again and the revealing words are highlighted in red as Tim says them. TIM: It is important to remember that you can say the same thing in different tones. Just one word can be said in hundreds of ways, each expressing a different tone. Here’s an example: “Thanks,” I mumbled sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him. “Thanks!” I shrieked, and ran to him a great, big hug! In each case, the writer sets a different tone. The two sentences are shown together on a notecard. TIM: In the first example, the tone is, well, sarcastic, like the author describes. What do you think about the second one, Moby? Moby studies the notecard. Moby:--Beep. TIM: Right. The diction, or style of speaking, and the exclamation points tell us that the tone is enthusiastic or excited. MOBY:--Beep? Tim: Well, mood is a little different. It’s the general atmosphere of a piece of writing, and the overall feeling the reader gets from the piece. A woman is shown reading a book in a recliner. The background of the room shifts into a full moon with wisps of cloud passing by to illustrate the mood of the story she is reading. TIM: A mood might be romantic, mysterious, dark, lighthearted—it could be almost anything! The screen fills with pictures to illustrate the moods. As “romantic” is spoken, a woman with hearts floating around her head is shown. As “mysterious” is spoken, a man with a black facemask, eyes darting side to side, is shown. As “dark” is spoken, a man with a stern face and wearing a black ball cap is shown. As “lighthearted” is spoken, a smiling clown is shown. TIM: The writer creates the mood not only by establishing characters and plot, but by describing the setting. The man writing with a quill is shown again. He stops his work to examine it. TIM: Setting is the physical surroundings in a story or article—where and when it takes place and what kinds of things are in the background. In fact, the setting often reflects the mood without our even realizing it. Let’s read this passage: “It was cold, rainy, and dark, like always. She sat by herself in an unlit room, counting the raindrops on the window.” The passage is shown on a notecard. MOBY:--Beep. TIM: Yeah, the mood is pretty gloomy. The gloomy surroundings mirror the gloominess of the story. The narrator isn’t telling us that in words—like, he’s not saying “it was gloomy,” but we get an overall feeling of gloominess when we read the passage. A woman sits alone in a room with a dour expression. She stares out the window at the passing raindrops. It’s dark enough outside that the house across the street has its lights on, though this woman sits in the dark. TIM: Even though they are often similar, a story’s mood can be very different from the tone. Something may have a very serious tone, and a silly or comical mood. MOBY:--Beep? TIM: Okay, let’s read this passage: “Maria was ready for what she was sure would be the greatest night of her life. Tears leapt to her eyes as she thought of the lonely nights she’d spent praying that this moment would finally arrive. With quivering hands, she lifted her pet rabbit, Buster, out of his cage. It twitched its nose inquisitively, but otherwise kept still. It was finally happening—Maria was going to fulfill her dream. She was going to the prom with a bunny on her head.” The narrator uses a very somber tone, which makes it seem like Maria is taking herself and her plans very seriously. But the mood is silly and absurd—she’s going to the prom with a bunny on her head! The passage is shown with the face of a smiling young woman. A bunny appears on top of her head. Tim and Moby go back to their word game. TIM: Hah! Triple word score! MOBY:--Beep. Moby slams his fist down on the table, collapsing it. TIM: Let’s play again when you’re in a more pleasant mood… Category:BrainPOP Transcripts